Rate control device



L- G. MILLER ET AL cpv. &, 194% RATE CONTROL DEVICE 6 Sheetsl-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 13, 1947 fiweniars' Lloyd GMZZer Ernest WStacey 0V0 394% L. 5. MlLLER ET AL m m HATE CONTROL DEVICE 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 13, 194-7 Inventors L Z 0 gal G [Vi Her Ernest WS'tacey Wm. & 1949 L. G. MILLER ET AL 9 2 RATE CONTROL DEVICE Filed 001,- 13, 1947 6 Shets-Sheet 3 m Fjg.3

Inventors Lloyd G. 1%! Z 62 Ernes z W Stacey 'Nmn & W49 L. G. MULLER ET AL 2,49%253 RATE CONTROL DEVICE Filed Oct. l3, 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 fizvemurs Lloyd GNU/e Ernest Ws'zacey Nov 8, 1949 L. G. MILLER ET AL RATE CONTROL DEVICE 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 15, 1947 I x I I I emars [oyd GMZZer Ernest WSzacey Nov. 8, 1949 G. MILLER ET AL 2,487,256

RATE CONTROL DEVICE Filed Oct. 13, 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 invemars Lloyd GMZZer Patented Nov. 8, 1949 TENT OFFICE RATE CONTROL DEVICE Lloyd G. Miller and Ernest W. Stacey, Beverly,

Mass., assignors to United Shoe Machinery'Corp'oration, Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application October 13, 1947, Serial No. 779,472

7 Claims. 1

This invention relates to rate control mechanism and is illustrated as embodied in a variable speed drive for use in an aided tracking device" foreffecting movement in azimuth or elevation of guns securedto turrets such as disclosed, for example, in applications for United States Letters Patent, Serial Nos. 707,216, filed November 1, 1946, and.30,328, filed'June 1, 1948, in the names. of Ernest W. .Stacey et al. and Walter E. Naugler t al. respectively.

As disclosed in said applications, there are mountedin the turrets motors for driving the turrets in azimuth and elevation, the speeds of said motors being controlledlb'y mechanism comprising pairsoi. hand grips which are moved as units. about axes-disposed at right angles to each other, by gunners housed in said turrets.

It is an object of the present invention to provide: animproved aided tracking device which may be readily incorporated in the above referred to turrets to improve their effectiveness.

The present invention consists in the novel features hereinafter described, reference being hadrtothe accompanying drawings which show embodimentsof the invention selected for purposes of, illustration, saidinvention beingfullydisclosed in the following description and claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a plan view, partly broken away. andpartly in section, of an illustrative aided tracking device for. use inthe. hydraulically driven turret disclosedin said application-Serial No. 707,216;

Figs. 2,. 3iand 4 are. rvertical sections on lines IIII, III-III, IV-IV, respectively, of Fig. 1;

Fig; 5" is vertical section on line V-V of being controlled by a gunner by the use of a.

pair. of. grips (notshown). rotatable about one axis=to effect movement .ofthe-turret in azimuth right angles to said one axis, to effect movement of the turret in elevation.

In the illustrative rate control device, which may be referred to as an aided tracking box, for use in the turrets disclosed in said applications Serial Nos. 7073216 and 30,328,. there is a shaft 3!} (Figs. 1,2, 4, 6 and 7) which is rotatable in response to rotation of the grips about one of said. axes, and a similar shaft (not shown) which is rotatable in response to rotation of the grips about the other axis. Since the rate control device for moving the turret in azimuth is substantially identical with the rate control device for moving the turret in elevation, only one of said devices will be described.

The shaft 36 is rotatably mounted in a box or housing 32 (Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5), 32a (Figs. 6 and -7) and has secured to it a multi-arm lever 34 having a gear segment 36which meshes with a bevel gear segment-38 forming part of a sleeve 40. (Figs. 1, 2 and 4) rotatably mounted on a fixed stud 42 secured to the housing. Pivotally connected to a rearwardly extending arm 44 (Figs. 1, 4 and 7) of the lever 34 is a rod 46, the left endof which as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2 is pivotedto an arm 48 (Figs. 1, 2 and 6) secured to the upper end of a shaft 50 journaled in bearings of the box 32. Pinned to the lower end of theshaft 50 is a bifurcated lever 52 provided with slots 54 in which slidingly fit blocks 56 (Figs. 1 and 2) mounted upon a pin 58 secured to one endof a control or regulating slide 60 (Figs. 1, 2 and 5) movable along angular guides and" about a second'axis, which is disposed at 62 which are secured by screws 64 to and, in effect, formpart of the box 32. The slide has formed in it spaced openings 66 in which are secured by screws 68 (Fig. 1), retainers 70, each provided with a vertical recess 12 for receiving hardened steel balls 14 (Figs. 2 and 5), '76 (Figs. 1 and '2) the lower balls at all times being pressed against-freelyrotatable cylinders 18, hereinafter described and the upper balls being engaged with considerablepressure by a constantly rotating disk 82. In order to reduce friction of the balls 14, 16 in the vertical recesses 12, each of the retainers is provided with ball engaging rollers 84 which are rotatably mounted upon pins 85 (Fig. 5) secured to the retainers and extend across slots 88 in which the rollers are positioned. The retainers 70 may be considered as part of the slide 60 although the balls l4, 76, which may be referred toas driving units or drives, are loose in the retainers 10, they are confined in their operative positions in said retainers by the cyl- .6 inders I6, 80 respectively and the disk 82 and may be described as carried by the slide 60.

The disk 82 is provided with a boss 30 (Figs. 2 and 5) formed integral with a vertical shaft 92 and mounted upon and pinned to said shaft is a hub 94 of a gear 96 which meshes with a continuously rotating gear 98 (Fig. 5) secured to a stub shaft I80 supported in bearings I02 mounted in a carrier I04, extensions I06 of which are pivoted upon studs I! secured to the box 32. The carrier I04 is of annular shape and has at its left end as viewed in Fig. 2, a recess I06 (Fig. 2) for receiving a coil spring I I0. A screw I I2 which is threaded into a nut II4 secured to the box 32 passes through a recess II6 of the carrier I04 and has a head which is in engagement with the upper end of the spring III) positioned in the recess I08. The carrier I04 is constantly urged counterclockwise as viewed in Fig. 2 about the studs I0I by the spring III] to force, through mechanism hereinafter described, a flat or planar work engaging face II8 of the disk 62 against the upper balls I4, I6 in the control slide 60 and the lower balls I4, I6 against cylindrical driving faces I20 (Figs. 2 and I22 (Fig. 2) of the cylinders I8, 80, respectively.

Secured to fulcrum pins I24, rotatably mounted in alined bores I26 (Figs. 1 and 5) of the carrier I04, is a tilting plate I26 having at its central portion a bore I30 in which is positoned by a snap ring I32 (Figs. 2 and 5) a ball bearing I34, an inner race of which fits between the hub 90 of the disk 82 and the hub 94 of the gear 06. The tilting plate I28 has secured to it a thrust bearing ring I36 which is made of hardened steel and has an annular groove I30 for receiving balls I4I retained by a cage I40.

Formed integral with the driving gear 96 is the lower half of an Oldham coupling I42 (Fig. 5) the upper half of said coupling being secured to a vertical shaft I44 journaled in bearings I46 mounted in an upstanding portion of the front of the box 32. Keyed to the shaft I44 is a worm gear I46 meshing with a Worm on a shaft I52 of a constant speed motor I54.

Rotation of the motor shaft I52 at a constant speed effects, through the Oldham coupling I42 and the gear 38, rotation of the gear 96. The spring I I0 acting through the carrier I04 and the tilting plate I28 causes the face IIZI of the disk 82 to be forced with self-alining pressure against the upper balls I4, I6 mounted in the control slide 60. The disk 82 as well as the balls 14, I6 are made of hardened steel, the construction and arrangement being such that the sets of balls constitute drives or driving units for'actuating without any substantial slippage the cylinders I8, 80 in response to rotation of said disk. It will be noted that an axis I56 (Figs. 1 and 5) about which the carrier I04 is pivoted is arranged at one side of the disk 62 and in the general plane of the driving face I I0 of the disk, the construction being such that any slight movement of the carrier about the axis I56 will be lengthwise of an axis I58 (Figs. 2 and 5) of rotation of the disk. Accordingly, there will not be any appreciable component of movement of the disk 62 in the direction of movement of the control slide 60 during the slight pivoting of the tilting plate I26 upon which the disk is rotatably mounted. The plate I26 may be described as being tiltable about an axis I60 (Figs. 1 and 5) parallel to the axis I56 and extending through and at right angles to the axis I53 of rotation of the disk 02. By providing the above construction, the disk 82 will be forced with equalized pressure against the upper balls I4, I6 irrespective of the transverse position of the balls along the driving face I I8 of the disk. The ball drives together with the cylinders I8, 66 may be referred to as a drive.

The cylinders I6, 80 are rotatable upon bearings I62, I64 (Fig. 2) mounted upon a shaft I66, parts of which aresecured together by a collar I68, said shaft being supported for rotation in movements of the cylinders I8, 80 and imparting the resultant movement to the shaft I66 which through mechanism hereinafter described displaces a cage I90 of a differential I92 which is universally connected to a push-pull rod or rate control transmitting or power regulating member I64 corresponding to rods I12, I disclosed in said application Serial No. 707,216 for regulating a hydraulic motor (not shown).

When the grips (not shown) which are operatively connected to the shaft 30 are in neutral position the slide 60 is in its full line position shown in Fig. 2, the balls I4, I6 being equally spaced from the axis of rotation I58 of the disk- 82. The lower balls I4, I6 thus positioned rotate in opposite directions at the same speed and,

.. accordingly, rotate the cylinders I8, 80 in opposite directions at the same speed with the result that the cage I84 of the differential I88 and, therefore, the shaft I66 remains stationary. Movement of the shaft 30, which is operated by the grips, in the direction indicated by arrow I96 (Figs. 2 and 7), for example, from its neutral position causes movement of the slide 60 to the left (Fig. 2) the balls I4, I6 being moved to their dot-and-dash line positions. When the slide 60 is thus positioned the balls I4 will rotate at a greater speed than the balls I6 with the result that the cylinder I8 rotates much faster than the cylinder 80 and the shaft I66 moves in the direction indicated by arrow I98 (Figs. 2 and 5). Should the grips be displaced an equal amount in the opposite direction from their neutral positions the relative positions of the balls I4, I6 would be reversed and the shaft would rotate at the same speed in the opposite direction.

Keyed for longitudinal displacement on the shaft I66 is a driving member or slide 200 (Figs. 1, 2 and 6) of a clutch 202 having clutch teeth 204, 206 constructed and arranged to be moved selectively into driving relation with clutch teeth 208, 2I0, respectively of sleeves 2I2, 2I4 which are rotatable on bearings 2I6, 2I8 (Fig. 2) supported by the shaft I66. The sleeves 2 I2, 2I4 are provided with gears 220, 222 (Figs. 1, 2, 6 and '7) which mesh with gears 224, 226 (Figs. 1, 3 and 6) formed upon a spool 228 mounted upon bearings 230 (Fig. 3) supported by a shaft 232 which has secured to it a collar 233 and is supported for rotation upon bearings 235 (Figs. 1 and 3) mounted in the box 32. The spool 228 also has formed integral with it a gear 234 meshing with pinions 236 mounted for rotation upon pins 238 (Fig. 3) carried by a cage 240 of a differential MI. The collar 233 has formed integral with it a flange 242 which is secured by screws 244 to the cage 240 and keyed to the shaft is a gear 246 which meshes: with: at gearr segment 248 secured;

screws-:2 502'! tot-the sleeves.

Rotatahly mountednupon: bearings .1 252 (Fig! .3.)

supportedibya thezsliafti232 risethe: cages I 90: of the difiierential I 92 itwhioh carriesrpins.258; .260... (Figs. hand. 4) upoirzwhichiare mounted .pinions 262, Zfifiyarespectivelmthe pinions: 2.64 meshing with a-gearr 266*: (Fig.2.3z) t which. is.- rotatably mounted. upon bearings! fimsupportediby the shaft 1 2 32 and.

alsoimeshes ewithcthexpinionsd61 (Figs. .1' and 3) rotatably: mountedruponfipins r269 :carried by the difierential 2241i. TheepinionsaZBZof the differential I92 mesh withxa: backifeedigear 210 (Figs: 1-, 3 and 4) rotatable upontbearings 212 (Fig. 3) supported: by: the-:shait 232;.

The backifeedgearj'lfl is operatively connected through atrain of gears' 214;.216, 218, 28Il=:an'd' 282r(Figs; l and'') mounted in a cap 284 (Fig. 1)

secured totand forming part of the box'f32 ,-'.with1 arshaft r286' rotatably'mounted in the cap and:

havingsecuredto it a sprocket 288swhich is rotatedt= a predetermined number of degrees for 2.90 is constantlyurged to the position shown in Fig. 1 by-aspring 302, one end of which is se-"- cured to=an adjustable stud 304 carried by the arm and the other end of which is attachedto'a When the armed turret is swung througha. large arc while the guns are being initially trained on the target-it is desirable that the rod I94.be-: displaced its maximum amount of'. one.

inch and held there, thus insuring that the turret bem'oved-a-t'a maximum speed of 45 a second; The speeding .up of the turret for the above purpweis quickly eifected by moving the clutch slide-200 tothe left as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2' thereby causing the clutch teeth 204 of the slide to mesh withthe 'clutch teeth 208 of the sleeve 212, the gear 220 :otwhich meshes with the gear 224 of the spool 228 as above described. Such shifting of the. clutch slide 200 will result in changing the speed ratio betweenthe. shafts- I56 and'232-of mechanism for operativelyconnecting the balls 14, Hi. to therate control transmitting;member I94.

Whentthe grips are angularly displaced in azimutlror" elevation up to 26 /3 from its neutral position; the clutch teeth-206of the driving clutch member 200 is in meshing engagement with the cliitchteeth2l0 of the sleeve 2I4, and the gear- 222 of the sleeve is in driving relation with the gear 226 of. the spool 228, the construction andarrangement being such that the. push-pull rod I94 for-controlling the operation'of the hydraulic motor (notshown) is displaced up to .444" from its-.neutralposition and the turret is thus rotated up. to: per second in either azimuth or elevation.

In order to expedite the. initia1 training of the gunsof the turret one target located a considerabledistance from. the line. of sight of the guns, the drive gear: ratio of the rate I control mechanism is automaticallyrincreasedby cause inglas-above described'theixclutch teeth 204 of the clutch member1'200 to be moveduinto 1mesh= spectively, which are carried by. the mum-arm lever. 34 and maybe moved into engagement with. a stud 31 2 (Figs. 1, Zand4) fixed to but mounted for adjustmentxuponlthearm... When, by reason ofthe. fact thatrthe hand grips have been displaced. 30", for. example, from neutral position:

and the. bifurcatedarm 29.0 has been swung by one :or theotheroftthe rolls 308, 310 into a positiontoxincreasethe -speed of rotation of the. spool .228 by increasing the gear ratio of the rate controldrive', thelpush-pull rod. I94 which con-- trols. the speed. of the hydraulic motor (not.

shown) will be displaced .froma neutral position by approximately onelzinch, this being the maxi-. mumdisplacement ofithe. rod for 30 displace ment of the grips. of the rod I94causes the turret to rotate at a rate of 45 per second. 'I'hemechanism for varying the gearratio of therate control .drive when the grips'are displaced abover26% may be referred to as sluingmechanism.

Because of the gear ratio between the gear segment 243 and the-gears246, initial displacement of the shaft iilliby only afew'degrees will cause considerable angular. displacementof the differ en'tial .cage 240 whichis secured'to the shaft 232. Accordingly, when thegrips are angularly disin one direction or the -other from its neutral position a maximum amount, that is, about one inch, with the result that the turret rotates.

quickly in the desired" direction to pick upthe target; the back feed gear 210; acting through the above described mechanism, causing the rod'iM to. be moved back-to its neutral position when the targethas been reached, assuming that there is In the above described aided tracking device the rate control' no rate control mechanism;

mechanism causes rotation of the gear 206 of the difierential I 92; m a direction opposite te t-hat of the back feedgear. 210*and the back feed gear operating, through the differential I92 and the rod I04 closes the hydraulicmotor control valve (not shown) until said'back feed gear is moved atthe same speed as the rate control gear 256 ofthe differential I92, the cage I remaining stationary when thespeeds of the back feed gear 210 and'the gear 26fi move in-opposite directions are thesame' thus causing the turret to rotate at a constant rate.

When the above described aided tracking mechanism is used inan electrically driven turret such as disclosediin' said application Serial No.

30.328, there is provided the modified box 32a such as illustrated in Figs. G and '7 and corresponding to the box 32. In such a construction thedifierential' I92'is omitted and the gear is replaced by a gear 3E4 formed on a sleeve BIG rotatably mounted upon bearings (not shown) supported by the shaft 232.

In the modified construction shown in Figs. 6 and 7 there is secured by screws3I8'(Fig. '7) to a flange of the sleeve 40a gear segment 32!; meshing with agear segment 322 keyed to the shaft 232; Movement of the shaft 30; whichis-con The maximum displacement:

nected to the grips, causes rotation of a cage 324 (Figs. 6 and 7) of a differential 326, corresponding to the differential 2, directly through the gear segments 320, 322 and the shaft 232 and also through the above described rate control mechanism.

The sleeve 3; has formed integral with it a pair of gears 328, 330, the gear 328 meshing with a gear 332 secured to a shaft 334 of a Selsyn transmitter or generator Selsyn 336 (Fig. 6) The gear 333 is operatively connected through a gear train comprising gears 338, 340, 342, 344 and'346 to a shaft 341 (Fig. 6). of another Selsyn transmitter 348, the drives being such that the angular displacement of the Selsyn transmitter 348 is thirty cne times that of the'Selsyn transmitter 336. In accordance with common practice such a pair of Selsyn transmitters are connected to Selsyn transformers or transformer Selsyns associated with azimuth or elevation motors such as disclosed in said application Serial No. 30,328.

When the grips are rotated to train the guns on the target the Selsyn differential cage 324 is rotated with the shaft 232 causing through mechanism above described a predetermined displacement of the Selsyn transmitters 336, 3&3 with the result that the motors (not shown) controlled by Selsyn transformers rotate until the Selsyn transmitters and transformers are in phase, at which time current applied to the mo- 3 tors would cease were there space but no rate control mechanism. In the present aided tracking mechanism, however, constant rotation of the sleeve 228 actuated by the rate control member causes constant rotation of a gear 353 of the differential 326, corresponding to the gear 234 of the differential 24| with the result that the Selsyn transmitters 326, 348 are continuously displaced causing the azimuth and elevation motors to be driven at rates determined by the displacement of the grips.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a rate control device, a disk rotatable about an axis and having a flat driving face arranged at right angles to said axis, means for rotating the disk at a constant speed, a pair of rotatable elements, a slide, a pair of ball drives which are mounted on the slide and are arranged in driving relation with said face of the disk at opposite sides respectively of the axis of rotation of said disk and which are arranged indriving relation with said elements, manually controlled means for moving the slide to cause the ball drives to move to different operative positions along said face with relation to said axis of rotation, mechanism for forcing with equalized pressure the face of the disk against the ball drives and the ball drives against said elements, a rate control transmitting member, and mechanism for moving said rate control transmitting member in a translatory path in response to rotation of said elements.

2. In a rate control device, a disk rotatable about an axis, means for rotating the disk at a constant speed about said axis, a slide movable in a path disposed approximately at right angles to said axis, said slide having two recesses extending generally lengthwise of said axis and arranged at opposite sides respectively of said axis, a pair of cylinders movable about a common axis disposed at right angles to the axis of rotation of the disk, two or more balls which fit in each of the recesses of said slide and are in driving engagement, a tilting plate upon which the disk is rotatably supported, a carrier, said tilting plate being pivotally supported upon the carrier for movement upon an axis extending approximately through and arranged at right angles to the axis of rotation of the disk, a spring acting upon said carrier for causing the disk to be forced against one of the balls in each of the recesses and for causing another of the balls in each of the recesses to be forced against an associated cylinder thereby causing the cylinders to rotate in opposite directions in response to rotation of the disk, a differential portions of which are operatively connected to the cylinders, and a rate control member operatively connected to said differential. g 3. In a rate control device, a pair of rotatable members, a movable slide, a pair of drives which are carried by the slide and are spaced a substantial distance from each other and which are constructed and arranged to be forced against the respective members to effect rotation of the same, a disk which is rotatable about an axis and has a flat driving face, said disk being tiltable about an axis extending through and arranged at right angles to said axis, said disk also being tiltable about an axis which is disposed at right angles to the axis of rotation of the disk and which lies approximately in the plane of the driving face of said disk and beyond the outside limits of said face, means for forcing said face of the disk against said drives and for forcing the drives against said rotatable members, and a differential comprising input gears which are operatively connected to the rotatable members respectively.

4. In a rate control device, a disk having a flat driving face, a plate upon which the disk is mounted for rotation about an axis disposed at right angles to said face, said plate being mounted for tilting movement about an axis which is spaced from said face and which intersects and is arranged at right angles to said axis, a pair of rotatable members, a manually controlled slide, a pair of spaced driving units which are carried by the slide and are arranged at opposite sides of the axis of rotation of the disk, means for forcing the driving face of the disk against the driving units and said units against the rotatable members respectively to cause rotation of the disk to effect rotation of said rotatable members, a rate control transmitting element, and mechanism comprising a diiferential for moving said element in response to movement of the rotatable memers.

5. In a rate control device, a pair of cylinders movable about a common axis, a power driven disk having a driving face, a slide movable generally lengthwise of the axis of rotation of the cylinders, a plate for supporting said disk for rotation about an' axis, spaced ball drives which are arranged at opposite sides of said axis of rotation of the disk and which are carried by the slide and are constructed and arranged to be forced against the cylinders respectively, a carrier pivotally mounted for movement about an axis disposed approximately at right angles to the axis of rotation of the disk and lying approximately in the plane of and at one side of said driving face of the disk, said plate being mounted for pivotal movement upon the carrier about an axis extending through and disposed at right angles to the axis of rotation of the disk, resilient means for moving the carrier in one direction to force the disk against the ball drives and the ball drives against the cylinders thereby causing the said cylinders to be driven in opposite directions, and

a difierential which has gears operatively connected to the cylinders respectively.

6. In a rate control device, a disk which is rotatable about an axis and has a flat driving face disposed at right angles to said axis, said disk being bodily tiltable about an axis disposed at right angles to and intersecting the axis of rotation of the disk, said disk also being bodily movable about an axis which is spaced a considerable distance from its axis of rotation and which is arranged parallel to the second-named axis and lies substantially in the plane of the driving face of said disk, a pair of cylinders rotatable about a common axis, a manually controlled member movable lengthwise of the axis of rotation of the cylinders, driving units rotatably mounted in the slide and arranged at opposite sides of the axis of rotation of the disk, said units being in driving engagement with the face of the disk and said cylinders respectively to rotate said cylinders in opposite directions in response to rotation of the disk, a power regulating member, and means comprising a differential to which the cylinders are operatively connected for controlling the speed of said member in response to movement of the cylinders.

7. In a rate control device, a continuously driven member which is rotatable at a constant speed and has a driving face, a pair of drives,

manually controlled means for moving the drives into engagement with difierent portions of the face of said member to vary the speeds of said drives, a movable power regulating element, mechanism for operatively connecting the drives to said element, said mechanism comprising a pair of shafts, alternately effective sets of gears mounted upon said shafts and a clutch shiftable to render effective one of the other of said sets of gears to vary the speed ratio of said shafts, and a shifter which is operatively connected to the manually controlled means and also to the clutch to cause one of said sets of gears of said mechanism to be rendered operative when said manually controlled means has been moved beyond a predetermined position.

LLOYD G.. MILLER. ERNEST W. STACEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,172,503 Trufant Feb. 22, 1916 1,626,611 James May 3, 1927 2,357,035 Treese Aug. 29, 1944 2,422,306 Laing June 17, 1947 

